This page
is produced as a
service for Seniors
bywww.SeniorARK.com.
We are in no way connected
with any
official Pennsylvania
site or
promotion. SeniorARK is
headquartered in Pennsylvania.
We live here, and believe
in the incredible
value of our state,
especially for retirees.

Quote
on August 4, 2011: Chris Matthews on the MSNBC show
Hardball, when discussing awful American airports said: "Now
Pittsburgh, THAT'S a great airport" Could we be more proud?

Pennsylvania State Flower

Mountain Laurel Kalmia latiflolia

The State Flower is the Mountain Laurel, as
enacted by the General Assembly on May 5, 1933. The mountain
laurel is in full bloom in mid-June, when Pennsylvania's woodlands
are filled with its distinctive pink flower.

Five
Smartest Cities ForRetirees

PITTSBURGH, PA.

Three rivers run through
Pittsburgh's green, orderly downtown, but retirees will find even
greater charm in the city's outlying,tree-lined neighborhoods,
such as Shadyside (median house value: $199,000) and Squirrel Hill
($184,000). "If you'd like to retire in a place where you wouldn't
think twice about borrowing your neighbor's hairdryer in a pinch,
Pittsburgh's small neighborhoods are for you," says Abby Mendelson,
an author of books on the Pittsburgh Steelers and local culture.
see all 5

The 2011 Global Livability
Rankings are in, and the most livable city in America is
Pittsburgh, Pa. The study was completed by London-based
Economist Intelligence Unit. While top cities in the world
were: Vancouver, British Columbia; Melbourne,

Australia; and Vienna, Austria
respectively, Pittsburgh was the top ranking American city...

Pittsburgh's
renaissance saved the city and turned it into a hotbed for
young startup talent. ... From a place once named the
nation's “Smoky City” to earning the title of “Most
Livable City in America” by publications including
Forbes and ... overnight phenomenon, but rather one
three decades in the making.

After all those decades of stashing money away for retirement,
retirees should look for a place that will not only make them
happy, but also keep their nest egg intact. Areas with a track
record of slow, steady economic growth and home price appreciation
are ones that will hold onto their value best, notes Walter Molony,
a spokesman for the National Association of Realtors. These same
places are also more likely to rebound quickly when nationwide
economic conditions improve.

Forbes -February 26, 2010 The best place
to buy right now: Pittsburgh. For a housing market to be
attractive it should have appreciating prices that show
homeowners are making wise investments; an affordability
rating that gives middle-class families with good credit entry
into the market; and a relatively low number of foreclosures,
which keeps prices stable and indicates there isn't an excess
of inventory.

Pittsburgh has all three. In the metro area, 85 percent of
homes are affordable to those making the median family income
of $62,500. At the same time, foreclosures are low: Only one
home is in foreclosure for every 120 housing units — the
second-best record of all the cities we ranked; and home
prices are expected to increase 2.67 percent by the end of the
year.

The Pittsburgh region offers retirees the
active lifestyle of a major
city at a relatively
low cost,earning it the No. 2 spot on a list of the
top 10 "values" for big-city retirement, compiled by Warren
Bland, author of "Retire in Style: 60 Outstanding Places across
the USA and Canada."

PITTSBURGH: From "Voice of
America", July 13, 2009

Sixty years ago, Pittsburgh was known mainly
for one thing. It was the capital of the American steel
industry, then the world's mightiest. But then, one by one, the
steel works closed as the industry shrank. Today two steel
factories remain in Allegheny County; both are outside the city.
Pittsburgh has worked hard to rebuild itself -- and the world is
taking notice.

Last October, BusinessWeek magazine named
Pittsburgh one of best places to live during a recession.

And, last month, the Brookings Institution in
Washington listed the city among the twenty economically
strongest in America. Pittsburgh earned eighteenth place as
researchers pointed to a relatively stable economy based on
higher education and health care.

Researchers from the Pew Charitable Trusts
recently looked at how thirteen American cities are trying to
balance budgets in a time of recession. Pittsburgh was the only
one not predicting a deficit for two thousand nine or ten. In
fact, the city has a surplus.

Over the years, when its sports teams have
done well, Pittsburgh has been called the "City of Champions."
Two of its major teams are the current champions of their
leagues. The Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl in the
National Football League. And the Pittsburgh Penguins won the
Stanley Cup in the National Hockey League.

The city is also known for its arts
tradition. Veronica Corpuz is public relations director for
Pittsburgh's Cultural District. She says the arts in Pittsburgh
have generally done well even in the recession. The Cultural
District is a fourteen block area of downtown that includes
public spaces, art galleries and six major theaters.

August 9, 2009 Plextronics is one of more than 2,600
environmentally friendly companies that have settled in
Pittsburgh and revitalized the local economy through
good-paying jobs

Do you notice that Pittsburgh
and surrounding area keep appearing on nearly every
"best-retirement-destination" , and "best places to live" list?

Need to Cut Those
Housing Costs to the Bone? Check Out THIS Great Pennsylvania Town

Great Pennsylvania Retirement Housing on Less than a
ShoestringAre you entering
retirement fearing that you may not be able to make ends meet? You
have a "little" equity in a
home, or "some" savings but are paying rent. Or no savings and are
paying rent. You know that you can't afford to stay in the
high-cost area where you have been, but don't know where to go?

One of our
volunteers faced the exact same situation, and has created a
special SeniorArk feature to show you what he and his wife did
about housing as they entered retirement.. This section is
probably not for those with lots of options. It is about going
back to basics in housing in order to survive in retirement. No,
he doesn't live in a van---down by the river. He lives in a nice
home in a wonderful community. This
article shows us that there are affordable places for
retirees to live.

Overall, in
2007
Pennsylvania is ranked at #32 in terms of state and local
taxes. (50 is lowest) We would fare much better if the ranking
were done for Seniors. SeniorArk recently saw an MSN article
quoting a Kiplinger survey of property taxes on a selected
property in each state capital. They used a house in Harrisburg (actually in
the most expensive suburb of Harrisburg)
that had very high taxes, and used that to say that Pennsylvania
was not a tax-friendly state for Seniors. Not so folks. First,
how can you select one property, and paint the entire city, or
state with its statistics? Property tax varies wildly within the
state, and even within every city. So when shopping, seniors,
buy carefully. You can choose a property with low taxes. Also,
the Kiplinger study did not take into consideration the
statewide homestead exemption, and further Senior rebates on
property taxes. Governor Rendell in 2008 is working on a plan to
eliminate state real estate taxes altogether. This is the
problem with simplistic surveys. Pennsylvania is a VERY
Senior-Friendly tax state. The evidence:

Personal Income TaxesTax
Rate Range: Flat rate of 3.07%Retirement Income
Taxes:At 59˝, Social Security, civil service, state/local
government, and private pensions are
exempt.
IRAs are exempt as are out-of-state government pensions. Retired Military Pay: Not taxed after
age 59 1/2.Military Disability
Retired Pay:Disability Portion - Length of Service Pay: Member on
September 24, 1975 -- No tax; Not Member on September 24, 1975
-- Taxed, unless combat incurred. Retired Pay --
Based solely on Disability. Member on September 24, 1975
-- No tax. Not Member.VA
Disability Dependency and Indemnity Compensation: Not
subject to federal or state taxesMilitary SBP/SSBP/RCSBP/RSFPP: Generally subject to state
taxes for those states with income tax. Check with state
department of revenue office.

Property Taxes
Property taxes are levied by local governments (counties,
municipalities and school districts). The tax cannot
exceed 30 mills on the assessed valuation of the property
without special permission from the courts. Households
with claimants or spouses 65 years of age or older, widows or
widowers 50 years of age or older and the permanently disabled
18 years of age or older meeting income eligibility requirements
may qualify for this program. Rebates of paid property tax
or rent, up to a maximum of $500 per year, are available.
To qualify, annual household eligibility income must not exceed
$35,000.
The
Property Tax/Rent Rebate programallows residents to
exclude 50% of Social Security payments and 50% of
Railroad Retirement benefit payments from eligibility income.
The maximum rebate is $650. Counties may levy an intangible
personal property tax, which taxes stocks, bonds and other
personal property taxpayers may own. Not all counties levy
this tax.

YOU may qualify for a Property Tax/Rent Rebate(Would significantly
boost the PA tax-rank-by-state for

Seniors in Pennsylvania)

The Property
Tax/Rent Rebate program has been expanded as part of a broad tax
relief initiative.

Note:
Senior citizens - who are the hardest hit by rising property
taxes - will get the extra help they need by a major expansion
of the state Property Tax and Rent Rebate Program. An
additional 420,000 senior citizens will receive help paying
their property taxes or rent, and an estimated 146,000 senior
citizens will have their school property taxes completely
eliminated.

Note: SeniorARK
adds: We have observed that real estate taxes can be
considerably higher in larger cities than in the smaller
towns in Pennsylvania. Buy carefully to avoid having a big
yearly bite removed from your available funds. A home in
a smaller town might be taxed at $500 -$1,300, while a similar
property in a larger city might have a $3,000-$4,000 annual
tag.

Retirement funds are generally not taxed, food and clothing
are not taxed, and there are many perks specifically designed
for Senior survival. Buy where real estate taxes are low, and
you have it made in Pennsylvania.

Neshannock CreekInheritance
and Estate Taxes
The Pennsylvania inheritance tax is calculated at a percentage
of the value of the assets transferred which is determined by
the relationship of the heir to the decedent and the decedent's
date of death. The tax rate is 4.5% for transfers to
direct descendants (lineal heirs), 12% for transfers to
siblings, and 15% for transfers to other heirs (except
charitable organizations, exempt institutions, and government
entities). Property owned jointly between husband and wife is
exempt from the tax, while property inherited from a spouse, or
from a child 21 or younger by a parent is exempt. The
estate tax is related to federal estate tax collection.

PACE and PACENET offer
comprehensive prescription coverage to older Pennsylvanians and
cover most medications that require prescriptions, including
insulin, syringes and insulin needles. These programs are
administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging and funded
by the Pennsylvania Lottery.

There are no premiums or
monthly fees charged to people who enroll. These
programs do not cover over-the-counter medicines, medical
equipment or doctor, hospital, dental or vision services.

For information or assistance
with the application process, call PACE/PACENET cardholder
Services toll free at 1-800-225-7223